Iris clenched her eyes shut as she felt a hand grasp her throat, slowly cutting off the oxygen's path to her lungs. She only had a few seconds - that was all she needed. Her hands rose, trembling until they both rested on Ciscera's giant paw.

[I]They came from the trees... The shadows. Those vile cretins from the south. Were they bred simply to believe that any form of tactic on a battlefield was an honorable one? What could they possibly hope to accomplish without any concept of valor? Iris felt the body around her move, but it was not hers, it belonged to a younger Ciscera, more excited to prove herself in battle than to crush her enemies. The soft groan of wooden bow limps sounded nearby before a gentle [b]twang[/b] scored the first kill. Iris knew without a doubt that the arrow was Ciscera's. She felt it, and the confidence that the tigress held for being such a young fighter was incredible. Blades clashed, but there was also an overwhelming amount of magic.

The young vixen was trying to piece together exactly how long ago this was - as clearly it could only have been a few years in difference. If the Tunay'rukian soldiers were using this much magic, it was clear that they had really only just discovered it and had yet to learn to use it properly. Some of the soldiers were wearing themselves out with the use of a single spell, but there was one that she noticed a hare. He was fast, carried a pair of xiphos, and clearly held rank among his comrades, as even a few of his men were taking to his flanks to protect him as he charged at a large, white tiger who was cutting down enemy after enemy, holding no regard for prisoners. He barked commands with true focus and his longsword deflected a blow from the rabbit's xiphos, jarring it from the mammal's hand and to the ground. In a moment, the hare turned his second double-edged weapon to wield it backhanded and ducked beneath the next swipe of the tiger's longblade, darting forward and landing a small cut at a weak point in the commanding officer's armour. He passed under the tiger's arm but was caught off guard by an outstretched foot, tripping him. His only other blade fell from his hand, several feet away as he hit the ground, groaning and flipping onto his back, scrambling for his weapon.

The sound... The sound it made when that longsword pierced his abdomen was haunting, as was the cry of anguish. But the rabbit was not the one making any audible sounds as the precious crimson liquid dribbled from his lip. No, it was Ciscera's father, whose face was covered by the hare's paw and glowing blue, his entire body running with sparks. Every ounce of power the two of them had was poured into the moment and the white tiger's muscles gave out, causing him to fall atop the rabbit, who died mere moments later.

Time flashed around Iris as she watched Ciscera rally her men, return home to a bittersweet accomplishment of her second Trial's end, and move into her third.[/I]

The fox, however, withdrew and met the tigress' eyes, wheezing as the hold on her throat tightened. The last time Ciscera felt anything but hatred... Years? Years without compassion. What kind of life could one live if they held onto something like that? Iris was far from afraid or even appalled; she had seen worse and she had seen many of whom she envied for their lives, but there were some horrors better left in the shadows. The girl had so many things to say and no words to say them, no air...

What was that black spot in the corner..? No, must have been her imagination. 

There it went again! More of them... Everywhere... What were they..?

The girl's eyes fluttered shut as her vision completely blacked out and her muscles grew limp.